THE NEIGHBOURS COOK AT "KALPOWAR" WHO DID NOT LIKE SNAKES

THE COOKS REPTILE

One of the cooks on Lakefield, Mrs Hyde, had a penchant for large snakes and kept on the premises a black headed python of some proportions…In the normal run of things most ringers have an aversion to large snakes and Mrs Hyde was the most wonderful cook. She was also a very fierce woman and could throw a mean punch and everyone including the manager did what he or she was told in her domain. Good cooks particularly of the excellence of Mrs Hyde were rare indeed so everyone put up with Mrs Hydes snake, even made a detour when Mrs Hyde turned on the “snakes” sprinkler when this huge reptile would sun himself. He, the snake, loved the sprinkler system which was solely for his use in the front yard of the cook house and many a mean look was thrown in the reptiles direction when tramping in for smoko. After a particularly bad binge of drinking in the town, was a dry camp but every so often the more mature ringers would have to let loose in the town. Arriving back at the homestead armed with alcoholic courage one of the braver men,”no bloody great snake is tripping me up anymore” oh yes also armed with a sharp axe the poor old python met his bloody reward, chopped to pieces. After a few hours of sobering up the culprit decided through the night discretion was the better part of valour and decamped into the night never to return before the cook made her early start in the morning……which I might add she did not make a start that is after discovering the remains of the python and everyone did without a cook for some weeks until she cooled down She was quite capable of shooting the killer of her snake dead. Decamping was the wisest choice